Pin Oak’s Synchrony set for Red Bank Stakes

Pin Oak Stable’s Synchrony is scheduled to carry top weight of 123 pounds in the Saturday in the Grade 3 $100,000 Red Bank Stakes in New Jersey.

Synchrony, then with trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel, ran twice at the 2016 Oaklawn Park meeting, finishing third in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and sixth in the Grade 3 $500,000 Southwest Stakes, both Kentucky Derby preps.

The 2016 Southwest has proven to be a highly productive race, spawning future Grade 1 winners Collected, last year’s $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar, and Whitmore, Saturday’s $600,000 Forego at Saratoga, as well as multiple stakes winner American Dubai, last year’s $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap at Albuquerque and $150,000 Sunland Park Handicap at Sunland Park.

Whitmore, American Dubai and Collected ran second, third and fourth, respectively, in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest.

Synchrony, now with trainer Michael Stidham, has developed into a multiple graded stakes winner on turf, with his biggest victory to date coming in the Grade 2 $300,000 Muniz Memorial Handicap last year at Fair Grounds. He won the Grade 3 $100,000 Oceanport Stakes on July 29 at Monmouth in his last start.

Joe Bravo retains the mount for the Red Bank, a 1-mile turf event that goes as race 10. Probable post time is 4:09 p.m. Synchrony is scheduled to break from post 2 in the projected eight-horse lineup.

Synchrony is by super sire Tapit and out of Brownie Points, who ran six times at Oaklawn for Pin Oak and Von Hemel. Brownie Points won the $50,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies in 2006 and finished second to future Horse of the Year Zenyatta in the Grade 1 $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap for older fillies and mares in 2008.

Like Brownie Points, Synchrony is a Pin Oak homebred. Synchrony also ran second in last year’s Red Bank.

Oaklawn-raced Hence and Leofric are entered in the Grade

1 $750,000 Woodward Stakes Saturday at Saratoga in New York. Hence represented Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen’s 500th career Oaklawn victory at the 2017 Oaklawn meeting. Leofric is

4-for-5 at Oaklawn, his only loss a runner-up finish in the Grade 3

$500,000 Razorback Handicap for older horses on Feb. 19. Probable post time for the 1 1/8-mile Woodward, which goes as race 11, is 5:47 p.m.